Mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablet computers, etc., typically execute multiple processes during operation. Such processes include locally executed applications (e.g., text messaging, calendar, email, web browser, etc. applications), processes triggered by user interactions (e.g., graphical user interface navigation), and processes triggered by communications (e.g., phone calls). Often these processes generate content for presentation on an electronic display in an asynchronous manner, such as writing content to a frame buffer of a graphics card up to fifty times per second.
This asynchronous updating of displayed content is impractical for many wearable devices, such as smartwatches, head-mounted devices, etc., because of the amount of power required. That is, an asynchronous updating of displayed content requires a device to remain in a high-power mode so that displayed content can be updated as updates are received. Such a requirement can drastically reduce the battery life of devices. Further, devices employing a multi-stable displays (e.g., electrophoretic e-paper displays) are unable to utilize asynchronous updates. In fact, many multi-stable displays are capable of performing only a finite number of image updates during a lifetime of operation, and, as such, even if they could be implemented, asynchronous or near continuous updates would drastically reduce the lifetime of such devices.